Suffering in Silence: The world's most under-reported humanitarian crises

The aid organisation CARE International has published a report detailing ten humanitarian crises that received little media attention in 2017. The study, Suffering in Silence, found that while North Korea's nuclear ambitions made global headlines, its humanitarian situation received almost no coverage.

Other crises that rarely made the news were in Eritrea, Burundi, Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, the Lake Chad Basin – comprising Niger, Cameroon and Chad – as well as Vietnam and Peru.

Number of media articles about each of the most under-reported humanitarian crises of 2017CARE International

There is a direct link between media attention and the money given for humanitarian aid. "The media plays a vital role in drawing public attention to forgotten and neglected crises", says Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

"We all know that a single photo can make the world turn its attention to an issue," says Laurie Lee, CARE International's interim secretary general. "But the people in the countries featured in CARE's report are far away from the cameras and microphones of this world. These crises might not make the media headlines, but that does not mean we can forget about them."

In an effort to redress the balance, IBTimes UK presents excerpts from the report and photos of the ten most under-reported crises of 2017.

10. Peru: The worst flooding in decades

Torrential rains, leading to flooding, landslides and mudslides, scoured the dry landscape of coastal Peru in March 2017. Large parts of the country were severely affected, including the capital city of Lima. The rains caused the worst flooding in 20 years, with 10 times the normal levels of rainfall across Peru. By April, nearly half the country was in a state of emergency. Public health emergencies were declared in seven regions. More than 210,000 homes were destroyed or severely damaged by floods.

17 March 2017: A woman is assisted while crossing a flooded street after the Huaycoloro river burst its banks, sending torrents of mud and water rushing through the streets of Huachipa, PeruGuadalupe Pardo/Reuters18 March 2017: The railroad track that follows the Rimac River suffered severe damage by rising water and flash foods in the town of Chosica, at the foot of the Andes mountains east of Lima, PeruCris Bouroncle/AFP18 March 2017: Residents rest next to their belongings, after rivers breached their banks due to torrential rains, causing flooding and widespread destruction in Huachipa, Lima, PeruMariana Bazo/Reuters19 March 2017: General view of the damage caused by flash floods in Huachipa district, east of Lima, PeruErnesto Benavides/AFP23 March 2017: A local resident wades through water on a street in the El Indio settlement on the outskirts of Piura, in northern PeruErnesto Benavides/AFP24 March 2017: A woman holds her cat outside a tent after rivers breached their banks in Huachipa, Lima, Peru, causing flooding and widespread destructionMariana Bazo/Reuters

9. Central African Republic: In the heart of Africa but off the radar

Unknown to many and largely under-developed, the Central African Republic (CAR) has been suffering from recurring outbreaks of violent clashes. Inter-communal tensions are fuelled by armed groups and political turmoil. The situation has deteriorated massively since the beginning of 2017, with nearly 70 per cent of the country now being controlled by armed groups. In particular, attacks against women and children have increased drastically. By September 2017, a total of 1.1 million people were displaced. About 2.5 million people, more than half of the population, are in need of aid and desperate for food. Around 40% of children under five are malnourished.

16 August 2017: Anti-Balaka fighters patrol the town of Gambo in southeast Central African Republic, looking for Seleka militiaAlexis Huguet/AFPWomen stand in line for food aid distribution delivered by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme in the village of Makunzi Wali, Central African Republic, on 27 April 2017Baz Ratner/ReutersA woman holds her baby in the nutritional deficiency unit at the hospital in the town of Poua, Central African Republic, on 26 April 2017Baz Ratner/ReutersA Cameroonian United Nations peacekeeping soldier guards women fleeing the village of Zike as they arrive to the village of Bambara, Central African Republic, on 25 April 2017Baz Ratner/Reuters27 December 2017: A little girl stands with her family after fleeing the threat of attacks on Betoko town, northwestern Central African RepublicAlexis Huguet/AFPA girl eats a mango at a shelter for displaced people in Bangui, Central African Republic, on 24 April 2017Baz Ratner/Reuters21 December 2017: Girls walk to school in the town of Birao in the northern Central African Republic. In the region of Vakaga at the crossroads of the Chadian and Sudanese borders, there are fewer than five contract teachers for 52 schools and nearly 38,000 young people between seven and 18 years oldAlexis Huguet/AFP

8. Lake Chad Basin: At the crossroads between conflict, hunger and displacement

Eleven million people in the Lake Chad Basin region (North Cameroon, West Chad, South-East Niger and North-East Nigeria) – have seen their lives threatened and their chances for survival decreased over the last years. Eight years of conflict and ongoing attacks related to Boko Haram has meant lost lives and livelihoods, abandoned homes and villages, and deserted farmland, crippling large parts of the Lake Chad Basin. The number of displaced people has tripled in the past two years to 2.4 million. A total of seven million people are acutely malnourished – almost half a million of them children.

29 July 2017: A girl walks through a building that was destroyed when the Nigerian Air Force mistakenly bombed the Rann Internally-Displaced Peoples camp near the Cameroonian borderStefan Heunis/AFPWoman queue for rations in the Rann Internally-Displaced Peoples camp in northeastern Nigeria, near the Cameroonian border, on 29 July 2017Stefan Heunis/AFPA woman walks past donkeys in Rann, in northeastern Nigeria, close to the Cameroonian border , on 29 July 2017Stefan Heunis/AFP10 September 2017: Nigerian refugees who fled Boko Haram gather at a UN camp for refugees and internally displaced persons in Ngagam, southeast NigerBoureima Hama/AFPA young girl with a pot on her head poses with other children at one of the Internally Displaced People camps Gwoza, northeastern Nigeria, on 1 August 2017Stefan Heunis/AFPA mother stands near her baby, being treated at a Unicef Clinic near a camp for Internal displaced people in Dikwa, Borno State, Nigeria on 15 February 2017Florian Plaucheur/AFP

7. Vietnam: A destructive typhoon in the shadows of many

Although considered the most powerful storm in a decade, little is known about Typhoon Doksuri, the tenth storm to affect Vietnam in 2017. The powerful typhoon tore a destructive path through seven central provinces in Vietnam in September, flooding hundreds of thousands of homes, whipping off roofs and knocking out power. Doksuri caused widespread rainfall and left about 1.5 million people without power. Homes, schools, public buildings, as well as river and sea banks were extremely damaged. Over 11,000 hectares of rice fields and other crops were ruined following heavy downpours unleashed by the typhoon, affecting the livelihoods of local farmers.

A flooded field is seen as Typhoon Doksuri hits Ha Tinh province, Vietnam, on 15 September 2017Kham/Reuters15 September 2017: People recover motorbikes from a flooded field after Typhoon Doksuri hit Ha Tinh province, VietnamKham/Reuters16 September 2017: Vietnamese soldiers remove debris in Ky Anh town, in the central province of Ha Tinh, the day after Typhoon Doksuri made landfallHoang Dinh Nam/AFP16 September 2017: A motorcyclist rides past homes that were destroyed by Typhoon Doksuri in Ky Anh town, in the central Vietnamese province of Ha TinhHoang Dinh Nam/AFP

6. Mali: Trapped in a vicious circle of aid dependency and malnutrition

More than five years have passed since the escalation of conflict in northern Mali. However, insecurity persists in northern and central parts of the country and progress towards an improvement of the humanitarian situation has stagnated. The resurgence of inter-communal violence and clashes between armed groups in 2017 triggered renewed displacements and disrupted the lives of thousands of people. Many crisis-affected communities solely depend on humanitarian assistance and still struggle to access food, water, healthcare, education and work. In regions where fighting occurred, women reported cases of physical, psychological and sexual violence. More than 900,000 people lack clean drinking water, sanitation facilities and hygiene assistance. Over 52,000 Malians remain internally displaced and more than 140,000 refugees are in neighbouring countries where they try to survive in remote refugee camps in the desert.

19 October 2017: Women fetch water in Tin Hama, in the Gao Region of southeastern MaliBenoit Tessier/ReutersDicko Nock, a 36-month-old boy, is checked for signs of malnutrition in the conflict-affected region of Timbuktu, in Bellafrandi, northern Mali, on 5 October 2017Colin Delfosse/AFP2 October 2017: Children wait to receive their monthly ration of enriched porridge in the village of Siratogo, MaliColin Delfosse/AFPChildren wave towards soldiers of the Bundeswehr after helping to ensure security a weekly cattle market on the outskirts of Gao in Mali on 7 March 2017Alexander Koerner/Getty Images13 December 2017: A Malian migrant woman with her children is transferred by bus to a temporary shelter upon their arrival in Bamako after being repatriated from Libya by the IOM (International Organisation for Migration)Michele Cattani/AFPA Malian woman shelters with others at the Defence Corps Headquarters in Bamako being repatriated from Libya on 13 December 2017Michele Cattani/AFP

5. Democratic Republic of Congo: A silent humanitarian tsunami

After more than two decades of violence, for many children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), conflict and war is all they have known. A surge in violence and inter-communal tensions across the country forced more than 1.7 million people to flee their homes in 2017, an average of more than 5,500 people per day. More than four million Congolese are now displaced, with 620,000 of them seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Almost two million children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, making up 12 per cent of the world's acutely malnourished children. On top of this, few Congolese have access to clean water. Outbreaks of diseases, including cholera, measles and malaria, affect tens of thousands of people every year. The effect of escalating conflict has restricted DRC's economic growth and increased inflation means people can buy less with whatever money they have.

26 October 2017: A malnourished child gets measured at a clinic in Tshikapa in the violence-plagued region of Kasai, Democratic Republic of CongoJohn Wessels/AFP23 October 2017: A severely malnourished child rest on her bed inside a feeding and rehabilitation centre in Tshikapa, Kasaï District, Democratic Republic of the CongoJohn Wessels/AFP23 October 2017: A Congolese women who had her arm amputated after being shot sits on a bed in Tshikapa, near the Congo-Angola borderJohn Wessels/AFPA severely malnourished child lies in his mother's arms inside a feeding and rehabilitation centre in Tshikapa, in Kasaï District in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 23 October 2017John Wessels/AFP11 June 2017: A mother and her sick child wait at a makeshift paediatric health centre during a malaria outbreak that saw about 2-3 deaths per day in the district of Muma, Democratic Republic of CongoJohn Wessels/AFP11 June 2017: A health worker and a mother try to reduce a boy's fever at a makeshift paediatric health centre in the village of Muma after an outbreak of malaria in the Democratic Republic of CongoJohn Wessels/AFPRelatives mourn the death of a fifteen-month-old baby girl who died of malaria on 13 June 2017 in Muma, Democratic Republic of CongoJohn Wessels/AFP

4. Sudan: 13 years of war and hunger

Over a decade of conflict, chronic poverty and climatic shock have put almost five million people on the edge of survival in Sudan. For the past 13 years, dire humanitarian needs, particularly in the western province of Darfur, have persisted. The country regularly suffers from floods and droughts. Many families are facing extreme hunger. At the end of 2017, more than two million children were suffering. In addition, over 460,000 refugees from the Republic of South Sudan have put additional strain on Sudan's fragile economy. 88% of all refugees in Sudan are women and children.

An aerial view of the Al-Nimir camp for South Sudanese refugees in the Sudanese state of East Darfur, on 15 August 2017Ashraf Shazly/AFPSudanese women carry containers of water on their heads in the town of Umm al-Qura, northwest of Nyala in South Darfur province, on 23 September 2017Ashraf Shazly/AFPDisplaced children break their fast during Ramadan in Abo Shouq camp at Al Fashir in North Darfur, Sudan, on 15 June 2017Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/ReutersInternally displaced persons fleeing from clashes in Balela rest after arriving at Kalma camp in Darfur, Sudan on 24 July 2017Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/ReutersStudents use a bulb powered by a car battery to do their homework in Al Fashir in North Darfur, Sudan, on 12 August 2017Mohamed Nureldin/ReutersSudanese women carry a bag of food aid at the El-Riyadh camp for internally displaced persons in Geneina, the capital of Sudan's West Darfur state, on 8 February 2017Ashraf Shazly/AFPSudanese girls sit in a classroom at the El-Riyadh camp for internally displaced persons in Geneina, the capital of Sudan's West Darfur state, on 8 February 2017Ashraf Shazly/AFP

3. Burundi: Persecution and violence fuelling a humanitarian crisis

With political unrest and significant human rights concerns persisting, the crisis in Burundi enters its fourth year. Over 400,000 people, half of them children, have fled from the violence and dire humanitarian conditions to seek safety in neighbouring countries. Almost 200,000 people remain displaced inside Burundi. They face food shortages and a lack of basic services, such as health care, water, sanitation and food. Reports indicate that over 2.6 million people – 27 per cent of the country's population – do not know how to feed their families. The country is experiencing rising food prices resulting from economic and agricultural decline and disruption of markets and trade. Severe weather conditions, including drought and floods, also led to an exceptionally bad harvest in 2017.

A man pushes his bicycle to deliver a coffin in Bujumbura, capital of Burundi, in January 2016Grif Tapper/AFPBurundian refugees are transported to Tanzania aboard the MV Liemba on 21 May 2015Daniel Hayduk/AFPA Burundian woman and two children, who fled their country, wait to be registered as refugees at Nyarugusu camp in northwestern Tanzania in June 2015Stephanie Aglietti/AFPChildren who fled Burundi stand behind a fence as they wait to be registered as refugees at Nyarugusu camp, in northwestern Tanzania, in June 2015Stephanie Aglietti/AFPPeople walk through polluted floodwaters in Buterere, northwest of Bujumbura, on 17 March 2017, after torrential rains in BurundiAFP

2. Eritrea: Fleeing drought and repression

Isolated and off the media radar, Eritrea hardly ever makes the major news headlines. When it does, it is often related to border tensions, human rights abuses or Eritrean refugees drowning in the Mediterranean. Widely cut off from the outside world, media and aid organisations have very limited access to the East African country. More than 700,000 people are suffering from the ongoing drought, lack of food and water shortages. This is compounding an already dire situation caused by the dry spells of the weather phenomenon El Niño, which started two years ago. About 80 per cent of the population, almost 3.6 million people, depends on subsistence agriculture with women and children particularly at risk of malnutrition and disease. Children are likely to suffer long-term consequences. If babies and their mothers do not receive the nutrients they need, their physical and cognitive development can be severely hampered. Half of all children in Eritrea are stunted and cannot achieve their full mental and physical potential, simply because they do not have enough food to develop and grow. In addition, sexual and gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation, remains a dangerous reality for many women and girls.

Members of the Sudanese border security patrol the Sudan-Eritrea border for smugglers and illegal migrants, on 2 May 2017Ashraf Shazly/AFPAn Eritrean migrant looks on at the Wadi Sherifay camp on 2 May 2017, after being caught by Sudanese border security illegally crossing the Eritrea-Sudan borderAshraf Shazly/AFPAn illegal migrant from Eritrea sits on a bus at the al-Laffa border crossing in Sudan's eastern Kassala state on the Eritrea-Sudan border as she is deported from Sudan, on 2 May 2017Ashraf Shazly/AFPAn Eritrean child sits on a bus at the al-Laffa border crossing in Sudan's eastern Kassala state as she is deported back to her homeland, on 2 May 2017Ashraf Shazly/AFP

1. Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Life under oppression and hunger

Although North Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) has been in the news for nuclear and political tensions, little is known about the country's humanitarian situation. The UN estimates that 18 million people – 70 per cent of the population – are food-insecure and rely on government food aid. Furthermore, two in five North Koreans are undernourished. The impacts of the country's political regime together with global warming and frequent natural hazards, such as floods, rising temperatures or prolonged droughts, exacerbate the dire humanitarian situation. In July 2017, North Korea experienced the worst drought since 2001. Below-average rainfall in key areas for crop production severely disrupted planting activities and damaged the 2017 main season crops. As a result, people urgently require food – particularly nutritious food – medical and health services, water and sanitation facilities.

2 April 2017: North Korean farmers work in a field north of the town of Sinuiju, as a section of the Great Wall is seen on the Chinese side of the Yalu RiverDamir Sagolj/Reuters19 November 2017: People cross a bridge near the town of Kimchaek on North Korea's northeast coastEd Jones/AFP19 November 2017: People pull a cart loaded with dry wood along a road near Kiliju on North Korea's northeast coastEd Jones/AFP21 August 2015: A little boy begs for food on the platform at Hamhung Railway StationGetty ImagesA North Korean farmer stands with his cow at the Yalu river near Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, on 14 April 2017Johannes Eisele/AFPA North Korean woman walks across fields amid a dry and barren landscape on the banks of the Yalu RiverFrederic J Brown/AFP

Laurie Lee, Secretary General CARE International, says: "This [report] is not about comparing misery. Nor about pointing our fingers at anyone, or overwhelming people with yet more crises to worry about and to guilt them into feeling helpless given the magnitude of suffering. On the contrary: In a time where 'fake news', hate speech and increasingly noisy voices from the far right, it is easy to lose track of what is also important in world news."

In 2018, many of these disasters will continue. Poor families struggle to survive, as their capacity to absorb future shocks is diminishing, with conflicts lasting for decades, livelihoods lost, and assets depleted.

Founded in 1945, CARE International works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. The organisation put women and girls in the centre because poverty cannot be overcome until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE International works in 93 countries around the world to assist more than 63 million people improve basic health and education, fight hunger, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity, confront climate change, and recover from disasters. To learn more, visit: www.care-international.org.Read the full report.